Cooking top or burner frame for gas ranges or the like



May 11 1926. 1,584,118

H. MOECKER, JR.,'ET AL COOKING TOP'OR BURNER FRAME FOR GA S RANGES OR "THE LIKE Filed Dc. 18, 1924 -2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 11- if 6 o o a17 I Z0 j d i a t j Hmaflozs,

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May 11 1926. 1,584,118

H. MQECKER, JR, ET AL COOKING TOP OR BURNER FRAME FOR GAS RANGES OR THE LIKE Filed Dec. 18 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 if 'I l I I:

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Patented May 11, 19260 UNITED STATES 1,584,118 PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY MOECKER, J R., 03 HOMEWOOD, AND THEODORE THOMPSON, OF HARVEY, ILLI- NOIS, ASSIGNORS TO AMERICAN STOVE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A COR- IPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

COOKING TOP OR BURNER FRAME FOR GAS RANGES OR THE LIKE.

Application filed December 18, 1924. Serial No. 756,771.

' This invention relates to improvements in cooking tops or burner frames for gas ranges or the like being more specifically a cooking top of stamped steel in one piece so constructed that the maximum strength and durability is obtained by the minimum cost of manufacture fora given weight of material.

This invention is an improvement over cooking tops or burner frames as heretofore made in channel form and V-slo-tted or notched at their corners. A frame such as referred to appears in the F. G. Nicolaus Patent No. 1,178,259 of April 4, 1916. In frames of the Nicolaus type one or more pieces of channel iron are sometimes used andthe corners when bent are either welded or the Vd or notchedout portions are sometimes left slightly apart or open.

v The object of the present invention is to provide a cooking top or frame stamped from a single piece of material which is very rigid andunbreakable and at the same time produce a frame in which the vertical joints adjacent the corners of the frame are flush, thereby producing a more simple, cheap and practical frame which is of great strength and durability and can be manufactured at the minimum cost both as to labor and material.

Another object 'of the invention is the novel manner of cutting or notching the corners of the frame blank whereby a smooth flush joint is made adjacent the corner of the frame in thefinished article.

Another and further object of the invention is to provide a cooking top or frame for gas stoves or the like of a novel construction which is pleasing in appearance and atthe same time possesses strength and durability and is cheap and simple of manufacture.

Other further objects, novel features of construction, and improved results will appear from the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: Figure-1 is a perspective view of the stove frame or cooking top ready for application to a stove.

Figure 2 is a plan View of the blank from which the frame is made. the blank being shown prior to the bending operation.

Figure 3 is an. enlarged detail perspective view of one corner of the frame showing ia dj acent has been found that steel is the preferable material to use but it will be readily understood that if desired other materials could be substituted to suit any particular use to which the principle of the invention is applied.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings and hereinafter described the frame is square but the principle of the invention can be applied to frames of other shapes and for frames for uses other than upon gas ranges.

When the blank has been stamped out from the material to be used its form is as appears in Figure 2 of the drawings. L- shaped notches are cut in the outer four corners of the frame blank, these notches leaving in the frame corners a short leg 10 and a longer leg 11. for making one leg of the notch longer than the other will be given hereinafter.

The frame at its four inner corners'is provided with semi-circular cut out portions 12 which-join the inner perimeter of the frame in rounded corners 13 The four sides or legs A, B, C and D of the frame are made of a sufiicient-widthso that in the completed frame formed as appears in Figure 1 of the drawings each of the legs can be bent to form a top 14, an outer wall 15 and an inner wall 16. By forming the frame in this manner it will be seen, as clearly appears in Figure 5 of the drawings, that the frame is of an inverted U-shape in cross section.

Prior to the bending or forming of the blank to the frame shape a series of holes 17 are made adjacent the. outer perimeter of The particular reason In bending or forming the blank into the finished frame as it appears in Figure 1 of the drawings the legs A, B, and D are bent downwardly adjacent their inner edge in a line or plane running slightly inside of the extreme depth of the semicircular cut out portions 12. It will be seen by referring to Figures 1 and 5 of the drawings that this will leave at the inner corners of the frame a short inner wall or flange 19.

The legs of the blank are then bent downwardly adjacent their outer edges in a line or plane slightly inside of the apex of the cut'out portions at the outer corners of the frame blank. To complete the outer wall it is necessary to bend the longer leg portion 11 of the notched corners around and into the plane of the adjacent frame leg outer wall. This extending portion is designated in the drawings by the numeral 20 and will closely abut and lie flush with the outer frame wall. Due'to the fact that the frame legs were bent downwardly adjacent their outer edge in a plane or line slightly inside of the apex of the notches the leg 11 does not reach the outer edge of the top 14 of the frame there being a space 21 between them. By forming the frame in this manner the corners are perfectly smooth and are slightly rounded.

It will be also seen that the outer edge 22 and the inner edge 23 of the top 14 of the frame are also slightly rounded rather than presenting a sharp definite edge.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the cooking top or frame is formed from a single piece of material and that in its completed form presents a frame which is pleasing in appearance as all of its edges and corners are slightly rounded and are smooth both as to appearance'and touch. Furthermore the meeting edges or ends of the outer side walls are smooth and are not positioned immediately at the corners of the frame. It will be further seen that the semi-circular cut out portions 12 at the inner corners of the frame spread out into a pleasing contour to the eye in the finished frame.

It will be readily understood that the forming or the bending of the frame can be done by machine. The stamping out of the blank can likewise be done by machines as can also the. drilling of the bolt holes 17 and 18. From thisit will be seen that a frame made in accordance with this invention is cheap and simple of manufacture because of the machine work and additionally because there isno waste of material.v Furthermore the frame possessesgreat strength and durability combined with a pleasing appearance.

By reason of folding or bending the inner and outer legs 15 and 16 of the frame on lines inside of the outer corner notches and the inner corner circular cut out portions a short or narrow wall portion 21 is formed adjacent the outer corners of the frame above the notches and the narrow inner Wall portion 19 is formed at the inner corners o the frame. Due to these nurrow wall portions it is possible to form the inner and outer corners of the frm'ne without any puckering of the metal which would present a rough and uneven surface. This feature of the construction of the frame is important for otherwise puckcring would occur which would detract from the frame as will be readily understood. Furthermore it is possible, by reason of the circular cut out portions at the inner corners of the frame to make these corners in an are or curve as clearly appears at 24 in Figures 1 and $3 of the drawings. As also clearly appears in the drawings there is no puckering at the outer corners of the frame.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: v I

1. A stove top comprising a narrow rectangular frame stamped from sheet metal, the frame having its outer corners notched,

the inner and outer edges turned down-' wardly forming a narrow U-shape in cross sectlon, with its mner corners curving gradually -upward from the lower edge of the inner turneddown edge for the purpose described.

2. A stovetop comprising a narrow rectangular frame stamped from sheet metal, the frame being bent substantially to a narrow U-shape, the inner corners ofthe inner wall of the U-sh'ape gradually curved upward from the said inner wall, andthe outer corners notched with one leg of the notch "longer than-the other, whereby the longer legs of the outer notches curve around the corners formin'ga smooth finish, and whereby the said frame may be formed from sheet metal for the purpose described.

A stove top comprising a narrow rectangularlframe stain ed from sheet metal, said frame being su stantially U-shape in cross section with the corners'of the inner wall of the U curving gradually downward to the-edge of the said inner wall, and its outer edges notched, both to 'permit it to be formed U-shape, said flanges provided with openings for fastening the top in posit1on on the stove.

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In testimony whereof, we hereunto aflix our signatures. I

HENRY MOECKER, JR. THEODORE THOMPSON. 

